Numerous anti-theft devices intended for cycles (and in particular for bicycles) are known. By way of example, reference can be made to the cable anti-theft device by means of which a closed loop is formed, which attaches either the cycle as a whole to an item of urban furniture (such as a post or a tree) or one of the wheels of the cycle to its frame in order to prevent its free rotation. Reference can also be made to U-shaped locks, which comprise a male part in the form of a curved rigid rod which is passed through the spokes of one of the cycle's wheels and a female part which is snapped onto the end of the male part in order to prevent its withdrawal from the wheel.
The effectiveness of these devices is not contested. They do however have, as a principal disadvantage, the fact that they are bulky and can be tricky to use. In particular, considering the various positions that a cycle can assume, and the configuration of the urban furniture to which it must be attached, it is sometimes difficult to connect the two ends of a cable anti-theft device, or to snap on the female part of a U-shaped lock to the male part.